Did you notice how careful Kimi was with the champagne on the podium? There was a good reason: he is still below the legal drinking age of 21 in the United States.

Had he openly consumed alcohol on the podium, it could have created an awkward situation for F1, with millions watching around the world.

For a split second, it looked as though Kimi might get carried away — before remembering the instructions and keeping things under control. Crisis averted! 😄

With a 123-point advantage, he is expected to wrap up the championship in Mexico next weekend.

Let’s just hope the celebrations stay on the right side of the law! 🏆🏎️

Mercedes got its upgraded cars working as intended and delivered a near-perfect race. Starts, tyre management and one-stop strategy all played into Kimi Antonelli’s hands, earning him a completely deserved victory.

Red Bull, meanwhile, lacked execution at almost every turn.

Both cars made poor starts, and Verstappen appeared short of power deployment through Sector 1, allowing Leclerc past and nearly giving Hamilton the same opportunity.

The communication between Max and his new race engineer also looked far from smooth, raising questions about how quickly the pair can establish an effective working relationship.

Then came Hadjar. Running a different strategy, he appeared reluctant to let Verstappen through despite Max being on fresher tyres. Red Bull had two cars with which to influence the race, but its execution and teamwork never quite clicked.

If one word sums up Red Bull’s Austin weekend, it is smoothness — or the lack of it.

The team has only a few days to address these issues before Mexico. 🏎️

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Charles Leclerc had a few interesting things to say in the cool-down room — including a cheeky reference to Kimi’s expected title celebrations in Mexico and a certain amount of tequila. 😄

But he also made a more serious observation about the current generation of F1 cars. According to Charles, they are less physically demanding than the previous generation, and the three drivers looked noticeably fresher than we have seen after races at demanding circuits such as COTA.

Did you also notice the reaction from the crowd when Kimi was presented with his well-deserved trophy by a local politician?

The Texan audience made its feelings very clear. Thankfully, the moment was brief and did not overshadow what mattered most: Kimi’s hard-fought, thoroughly deserved victory. 🏆🏎️

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That’s a chequered flag 🏁 for today.

Tomorrow, best. 🏎️